This book is a collection of philosophical papers that explores theoretical and practical aspects and implications of nonviolence as a means of establishing peace. The papers range from spiritual and political dimensions of nonviolence to issues of justice and values and proposals for action and change.

Recent trends and events worldwide have increased public interest in nonviolence, pacifism, and peace psychology as well as professional interest across the social sciences. Nonviolence and Peace Psychology assembles multiple perspectives to create a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the concepts and phenomena of nonviolence than is usually seen on the subject. Through this diverse literature—spanning psychology, political science, religious studies, anthropology, and sociology—peace psychologist Dan Mayton gives readers the opportunity to view nonviolence as a body of principles, a system of pragmatics, and a strategy for social change. This important volume: Draws critical distinctions between nonviolence, pacifism, and related concepts. Classifies nonviolence in terms of its scope (intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal, global) and pacifism according to political and situational dimensions. Applies standard psychological concepts such as beliefs, motives, dispositions, and values to define nonviolent actions and behaviors. Brings sociohistorical and cross-cultural context to peace psychology. Analyzes a century’s worth of nonviolent social action, from the pathbreaking work of Gandhi and King to the Courage to Refuse movement within the Israeli armed forces. Reviews methodological and measurement issues in nonviolence research, and suggests areas for future study. Although more attention is traditionally devoted to violence and aggression within the social sciences, Nonviolence and Peace Psychology reveals a robust knowledge base and a framework for peacebuilding work, granting peace psychologists, activists, and mediators new possibilities for the transformative power of nonviolence.

The use of nonviolent action is on the rise. From the Occupy Movement to the Arab Spring and mass protests on the streets of Brazil, activists across the world are increasingly using unarmed tactics to challenge oppressive, corrupt and unjust systems. But what exactly do we mean by nonviolence? How is it deployed and to what effect? Do nonviolent campaigns with political motivations differ from those driven by primarily economic concerns? What are the limits and opportunities for activists engaging in nonviolent action today? Is the growing number of nonviolence protests indicative of a new type of twenty-first century struggle or is it simply a passing trend? Understanding Nonviolence: Contours and Contexts is the first book to offer a comprehensive introduction to nonviolence in theory and practice. Combining insightful analysis of key theoretical debates with fresh perspectives on contemporary and historical case studies, it explores the varied approaches, aims, and trajectories of nonviolent campaigns from Gandhi to the present day. With cutting-edge contributions from leading scholars and practitioners in the field, this accessible and lively book will be essential reading for activists, students and teachers of contentious politics, international security, and peace and conflict studies.

Christian nonviolence is not a settled position but a vibrant and living tradition. This book offers a concise introduction to diverse approaches to, proponents of, and resources for this tradition. It explores the myriad biblical, theological, and practical dimensions of Christian nonviolence as represented by a variety of twentieth- and twenty-first-century thinkers and movements, including previously underrepresented voices. The authors invite readers to explore this tradition and discover how they might live out the gospel in our modern world.

This book considers the common human predicament that we often choose an action other than the one we perceive to be best. Philosophers know this problem as akrasia. The author develops a nuanced understanding of the nature and causes of akrasia by integrating the best insights of Socrates, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas, and several contemporary philosophers.

This book deals with the international assessment and regulation of biomedical research. In its chapters, some of the leading figures in today's bioethics address questions centred on global development, scientific advances, and vulnerability. The series Values In Bioethics makes available original philosophical books in all areas of bioethics, including medical and nursing ethics, health care ethics, research ethics, environmental ethics, and global bioethics.

This book is an apologia for the rooted intellectual against the disdainful condescension of the cosmopolitan intellectual¿an apology in the Socratic sense of the word. It reflects the author¿s Texas rootedness unapologetically and offers a polemical but thoughtful indictment of the intellectual prejudice against rootedness; but it is ultimately about the universal human struggle with origins. Contents List of Illustrations Foreword Acknowledgments and Disclaimers Introduction: Attempts: Philosophy as Essay One: A Good Intellectual Is Hard to Find Two: Mind Forg'd Manacles Three: Running and Being Four: The Queen's English, or That Awful English Language Five: Wine of Wyoming Six: Wit and the Art of Conversation Seven: The Fish Eight: ¿A Minor Regional Novelist¿ Nine: Wana Ten: Culture Vultures Eleven: Centennial Twelve: The Sweet Science and the Competitive Spirit Thirteen: The Halfe Ars'd Angler Fourteen: Blood Sports and Haute Cuisine Fifteen: Bread and Wine Sixteen: Idols of the Academic Theater Seventeen: Westward I Go Free Bibliograpy About the Author Index

This book investigates rapid societal change in Russia during the early 1990s. The story of the anthropologist (author) and the people he studied reveals cultural similarities and differences between them. Russians and Latvians taught the author about the Soviet Union, its people, and its cultures. Formal axiology provides a novel way to access their changing values.

Global security cannot be achieved until people view the world as a global community. Until such time, differences will continue to be perceived as threatening. These perceived “threats” are the primary threat to global security. This volume proposes methods for minimizing the “us versus them” mentality so that we can build a sense of global community.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which began as The Children’s Corner in 1953 and terminated in 2001, left its mark on America. The show’s message of kindness, simplicity, and individual uniqueness made Rogers a beloved personality, while also provoking some criticism because, by arguing that everyone was special without having to do anything to earn it, the show supposedly created an entitled generation. In Mister Rogers and Philosophy, thirty philosophers give their very different takes on the Neighborhood phenomenon. ● Rogers’s way of communicating with children has a Socratic dimension, and is compared with other attempts to cultivate philosophy in children. ● Wonder is the origin of philosophy and science, and Mister Rogers always looked for wonder. ● Did Mister Rogers unwittingly create the Millennials by his message that everyone is special? ● What Martin Buber’s I-Thou philosophy can tell us about Fred Rogers’s attempt to rehabilitate children’s television. ● X the Owl obsesses, Daniel Tiger regresses, Lady Elaine displaces anger, King Friday controls––how puppets can be used to teach us about feelings. ● Fred Rogers’s indirect communication is key to the show, and most evident in the land of make-believe, where he doesn’t make himself known. ● How Mister Rogers helps us see that the ordinary world is extraordinary, if we’re willing to open ourselves up to it. ● How does Mister Rogers’s method of teaching compare with Maria Montessori’s? ● Fred Rogers and Carl Rogers have a lot in common: The Neighborhood is observed in the light of Rogerian therapy. ● Mister Rogers’s view of evil is closer to Rousseau than to Voltaire. ● Fred Rogers gave a non-philosophical interpretation of the philosophical approach known as personalism. ● Daoism helps us understand how Fred Rogers, the antithesis of a stereotypical male, could achieve such success as a TV star. ● In the show and in his life, we can see how Rogers lived “the ethics of care.” ● Puppets help children understand that persons are not isolated, but interconnected. ● Mister Rogers showed us that talking and singing about our feelings makes them more manageable.